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50 Articles

Farewell to arms

MANY Railway Magazine readers will have a fondness for the railways of Cornwall, whether as residents of the area or as visitors on holiday and other such trips. And what a marvel they are, with the main line threading its way from Plymouth the Penzance through stunning scenery, over impressive viaducts, climbing testing gradients, and having traditional branch line connections of the kind that have long since vanished from other parts of the country. A large part of the appeal are the county’s traditional signalboxes and their associated GWR lower quadrant semaphore signals. What a pleasure to spend a few hours on the platform at say Par, for example, and listen to the sound of bells and levers coming from the ’box, the ‘zing’ of the signal wires being pulled,…

Farewell to arms

Draft Rail Reform Bill published

THE long awaited legislation to implement rail reform was published in draft form on February 20, to allow parliamentary scrutiny, although it is widely expected it will not become law before the next general election. The proposals do not replace the 1993 Railways Act, which saw nationalised British Rail divided up and Privatised, but instead make amendments to allow the transfer of franchising powers to a new Integrated Rail Body (IRB), into which the activities of Network Rail will also be transferred – including the obligations of the network licence that NR operates under for the public interest. Although the term ‘franchising’remains in use, the current format of contracts – which are in effect concessions where a fee is paid regardless of revenue performance – is likely to remain. Once…

Draft Rail Reform Bill published

Avanti to axe through Shrewsbury-Euston service

THE single direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London Euston is to be axed from June. According to informed sources, the service has been losing passengers leading to a revenue shortfall of around £1.4 million per year as a result of changing travel patterns. Other operational overheads are the cost of maintaining route knowledge for 60 Oxley-based drivers, in addition to around 75 miles of empty stock working each day of operation. Cutting the services means passengers will have to change to Avanti trains to Euston at Wolverhampton or Birmingham New Street. However, The RM understands that from June this year, West Midlands Railway plans to introduce a Birmingham to Shrewsbury semi-fast service via Sandwell & Dudley, with the existing service (which calls at most stations) being diverted to run…

Avanti to axe through Shrewsbury-Euston service

Fleet changes at Tyseley

LMS‘Jubilee’No. 5593 Kolhapur and GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7760 are to be sold by Tyseley Locomotive Works in order to allow sister company Vintage Trains (VT) to develop its core brand of running Great Westerndesigned locomotives and Pullman restaurant car trains. The decision to de-accession and sell Kolhapur – which has not steamed since the late 1990s – is because it is considered non-standard where the remainder of the fleet comprises GWR locomotives. A further major factor is that the ‘Jubilee’needs a major overhaul which has been estimated to cost £750,000. VT has said that for around £100,000, its popular GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 Rood Ashton Hall can be returned to traffic relatively quickly and funds are available for a 10-year boiler overhaul which is due to commence in March. There…

The final train of Welsh mined coal

HEADLINE NEWS A CHAPTER of South Wales history closed on February 23, when the last train of Welsh mined coal operated on the national rail network. The final domestic coal flow in the UK was hauled by DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66112 from Cwmbargoed Disposal Point to the Tata steelworks at Port Talbot. The Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine operated by Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd closed on November 30, 2023 following a direction from the Welsh Government. Trains have been operating since then to help clear the stockpile. Poignantly, the last vehicle in the 21-wagon train, HTA bogie No. 310776 carried the message‘End of coal’.…

The final train of Welsh mined coal

Rochdale to Ribblehead DalesRail service this summer

A PROVISIONAL timetable has been published for a new year-round DalesRail service, which will operate between Rochdale and Ribblehead via Blackburn and Clitheroe from June 8, writes Graeme Pickering. Branded the‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’, it will consist of two services in each direction. The outward trains will leave Rochdale at 07.52 and 14.52, arriving Ribblehead at 10.19 and 17.26 respectively. Return workings depart Ribblehead at 11.08 and 18.05, arriving at Rochdale at 13.29 and 20.29. Coordinated by Community Rail Lancashire and operated by Northern, DalesRail trains have usually been diagrammed for Summer Sundays in the past, most recently between Blackpool and Carlisle via Clitheroe and Hellifield, but lack of train crew for Sunday working made it difficult to run a reliable service. Northern took the decision not to run DalesRail at…

New EMU depot proposed at Shipley PLANS are being developed for the construction of a new electric multiple unit depot at Shipley in West Yorkshire, writes Graeme Pickering. Documents lodged with City of Bradford Council last October, by consulting firm AECOM on behalf of Network Rail, show a proposed location south of Shipley station, in an area between Otley Road and the railway line to Bradford Forster Square. Envisaged is a steel-framed main building, accommodating a four-road maintenance shed for four-car EMUs, staff facilities, offices, storage space and an area for controlling depot movements. Also detailed are facilities for carriage washing, cleaning of vehicle underframes and for emptying and servicing of on-board controlled emissions toilets. A train services building would provide a base for train interior cleaning and technical teams,…

‘Shenfield Shark’ scrapped on site

A BRAKE van abandoned at an Essex main line station for around 35 years has been broken up after attempts to save it failed on safety grounds, writes Owen Hayward. The‘Shenfield Shark’will be familiar to many railway enthusiasts. No. DB993733, a ballast plough brake van known as a‘Shark’was failed with a hot box during a ballast trip working to Southend Victoria in the late 1980s and shunted into the siding that was to become its home for the next three decades. Hopes of saving it for preservation over the years had often been set back by concerns of it not being structurally safe to move by rail. Its location between a thick treeline away from a road and overhead power cables on the adjacent Great Eastern Main Line also prevented…

‘Shenfield Shark’ scrapped on site

Fallen tree derails Class 158

ONE passenger suffered minor injuries when the 15.51 Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich service was derailed after hitting a fallen tree while passing through Thetford Forest at about 21.15 on February 7. The injured passenger was treated at the scene between Thetford and Harling Road. The 31 passengers were taken forward by coach to Norwich station, arriving at 01.00. The windows on the front of East Midlands Railway Class 158 No. 158856 were smashed and there was further damage to the lead vehicle. Services between Ely and Norwich were suspended on February 8 as a result of the incident. The leading coach was rerailed before the damaged DMU was towed to Crown Point depot. Rail Accident Investigation Branch staff arrived on site to gather evidence. They carried out a preliminary…

Crewe home for Duke of Gloucester

THE Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust (RSL>) has secured a 10-year partnership with the BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust (BRC8SLT) for the operation of unique BR Standard Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester. The loco, which has not worked since its boiler certificate expired in 2012, is in the final stages of an overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works. On completion of the work, No. 71000 will move to the Severn Valley Railway for testing and commissioning before relocating to Crewe later this year. Main line operation As part of an agreement which is designed to help ensure the mainline future of this iconic loco, the 4-6-2 will be primarily operated by Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited, hauling Saphos Trains’railtours interspersed with periods of operation on heritage railways. Trevor Tuckley,…

Crewe home for Duke of Gloucester

An East Coast digital milestone

THE introduction of in-cab digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line has moved a step closer following commissioning of the Welwyn to Hitchin (W2H) European Train Control System (ETCS) overlay. W2H is Britain’s first instance of infrastructure commissioning towards a‘no physical signals’ intercity mainline. The overlay is a critical part of the East Coast Digital Programme’s (ECDP) delivery plan. To achieve the end goal of a‘no signals’railway on the southern part of the East Coast Main Line (ECML), it is necessary to create a section of route that can be operated with both conventional and digital signalling. Drivers from all ECML operators will progressively be trained to drive in ETCS through the W2H overlay. Once all train fleets are upgraded and all drivers trained, the progressive rollout of digital…

An East Coast digital milestone

HIGHLAND WHISTLING

HEADLINE NEWS A Class 40 returned to Inverness via the Highland Main Line on February 24, for the first time since No. 40145 in April 2010. No. D213 (40013) Andania hauled Inter-City’s‘Whistling Highlander’tour from Crewe to Inverness on February 24 (top-and-tail with Class 47 No. D1935/47805 Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013), returning south again on the following day. The outbound trip is seen at Kingussie passing ScotRail HST Nos. 43181/031 with 1T88, the 14.50 Inverness to Glasgow.…

HIGHLAND WHISTLING

Full service returns to Marston Vale Line using Class 150 DMUs

A FULL hourly-timetabled service returned to the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley from February 19. The 16-mile line, which connects the West Coast Main Line with the Midland Main Line, had been running with a limited peak hour service since November 2023. This began after a break of 11 months using rail replacement buses after Vivarail and its maintenance company went into administration, grounding the Class 230 DMUs that were introduced in 2019. Due to the very short platforms on the route, only certain types of train can be used on the line. Operator London NorthWestern took on three Class 150/0 units from Northern which have been refurbished and rebranded, have a universally accessible toilet, feature an upgraded passenger information system and have USB charging points. A period…

New ‘Clayton’ trialled by British Steel

BRITISH STEEL has taken delivery by road of a Class 18 hybrid shunter for a trial expected to last at least four weeks at its Scunthorpe Works. No. 18003 is one of the 15-strong class, all owned by Beacon Rail, which have a Stage V emissions-compliant diesel engine, but can also operate solely on battery power, recharged via regenerative braking or by plugging into an energy supply. They have the capability to haul loads of up to 2500 tonnes. It is the first time British Steel has carried out on-site tests of a hybrid locomotive. No. 18003 is being evaluated on internal rail movements for reliability, efficiency and potential to reduce maintenance costs. Trev Charlton, site operations manager for internal logistics, said that the company was searching worldwide for a…

New ‘Clayton’ trialled by British Steel

Railways in Parliament

Why no tilt? JACK Brereton, the Stoke-on-Trent South MP, wanted to know what information the Department ofTransport (DfT) holds on any issues identified during the testing of new Hitachi AT300 rolling stock to replace‘Voyagers’on Avanti West Coast services, and whether an assessment was made of the potential effect of the lack of tilt mechanism for those trains on maintaining safe operation around bends at speed, journey times and rail timetables. The MP asked why the tender for the rolling stock replacement for‘Voyagers’on Avanti West Coast services did not specify the inclusion of a tilt mechanism. Transport Minister Huw Merriman said:“The procurement, safety risk assessment, and safe operation of Hitachi AT300 rolling stock is the responsibility of the operator. When running rolling stock procurements, operators take account of factors such as…

APM suppliers shortlisted TWO bidders will be invited to tender to deliver, operate and maintain the automated people mover (APM) system, which will provide a link between HS2’s Interchange station (north east of Solihull), the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham International station and Birmingham Airport. The UK subsidiary of Doppelmayr Cable Car (whose ‘Cable Liner’ technology is already used in Birmingham Airport’s ‘Air-Rail Link’and Luton Airport’s DART transit systems) and POMA (whose recent work includes the Les Arcs Funicular Railway in France) have been shortlisted. The winning company will be awarded contracts covering the design, supply, testing and commissioning of the system and its operation (including asset management and maintenance) for a 25-year period. The total value of the contracts is expected to be up to £269 million. Tenders for the…

Breakthrough with London logistics tunnel

THE bore for the 853 metre-long (0.5 miles) Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel in West London, which will be used to move materials during the construction of the HS2 route eastwards towards Euston, was completed on January 23 after nine months of excavation. Having begun its journey from Atlas Road in North Acton in spring 2023, prior to its breakthrough into the station box at Old Oak Common, tunnel boring machine (TBM) Lydia removed 62,000 tonnes of London Clay and installed 535 concrete rings to line the tunnel. Although revised plans for the funding of HS2’s Euston station are still under Department for Transport consideration, work on the design and preparation of the route to the terminus from Old Oak Common is continuing. Parts for two other TBMs will be lowered…

Breakthrough with London logistics tunnel

SHARING THE SPOILS:

HS2 NEWS It is estimated that five million tonnes of material, extracted during the building of the HS2 tunnels in London, will have passed through its Logistics Hub at Willesden Euroterminal by the end of the construction project. The million-tonne mark was passed last summer. Having been transported via a conveyor system to Willesden, the spoil is moved by train for reuse in the construction industry. On February 12, passing the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, Freightliner Class 66 No. 66532 P&O Nedlloyd Atlas is seen heading one such loaded train from Willesden to the Cemex cement plant at New Bilton, Rugby. CHRIS MILNER…

SHARING THE SPOILS:

Report says Phase 2 cancellation makes HS2 ‘poor value’

THE House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a report calling on the Government to answer questions raised by its decision to cancel the construction of Phase 2 of HS2 between the West Midlands and Manchester. The report concludes that only building Phase 1 from Euston to Birmingham (HS2 trains originating or terminating north of Birmingham will use a connection at Handsacre in Staffordshire to leave or join the West Coast Main Line for the rest of their journey) represents “very poor value for money to the taxpayer”. It adds that neither the Department for Transport nor HS2 Ltd knows what the final benefits will be, or what impact Phase 2 cancellation will have on the rest of the programme. In addition to addressing these factors and giving an…

Brighton’s peers

SIX out of 15 prizes went to narrow gauge lines in this year’s Heritage Railway Association Awards, while the Severn Valley Railway picked up three others – including two of those sponsored by the railway press. This year’s ceremony was held at the Metropole Hotel in Brighton on February 10, making it a home win for the Volk’s Electric Railway as it picked up the prestigious Railway of the Year award. HRA chief executive Steve Oates said: “To see unique railways like the Volks Electric triumph over far bigger and more famous lines is proof that the heritage rail world is flourishing in all manner of different ways, despite the adversity we so often face.” (See also the following pages for more on the VER.) The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway…

Brighton’s
peers

Railway of the Year!

HRA AWARDS THERE was a home win for the Volk’s Electric Railway (VER) on February 10, as it scooped the top Railway of the Year prize at the Heritage Railway Association’s annual awards ceremony in Brighton. The VER is a fascinating operation, the oldest operational electric railway in the world, and still uses a fleet of cars dating back to the 1890s. The single-track 2ft 8½in gauge line, powered by third-rail at 110V DC, runs along Brighton seafront for just over a mile from Aquarium station (near the Palace Pier) in the west to Black Rock station (near the marina) in the east. There is a third station at Halfway with a passing loop, and there are two other passing loops on each section either side of Halfway. Halfway is…

Railway of the Year!

Mainly ‘B1s’

Guinness World Record: Longest-running railway series, established in 1901 BURIED well below heroic tales of epic runs in the age of steam, lies a soft under-belly of sometimes indifferent workmanship and ineffective management. We looked closely at such an example in The RM’s September 2021 edition, with the 8.12am Leeds-York/Scarborough of 1958/59 showing its deplorable punctuality record; a situation that was allowed to exist despite it being the regular commuter train of many North Eastern Region HQ operating staff. Noel Proudlock was the one who kept count of those events, but the train was by no means an isolated example. During the motive power section of his management training, Noel was assigned to the Wakefield District, based in an office at Westgate station. His main train to reach work was…

Signalling change in Cornwall

INFRASTRUCTURE FOLLOWING a two-week engineering blockade of the Cornish Main Line at the end of February and start of March, signalling control at three signalboxes dating back to the 1890s will pass to a workstation at Exeter Panel. Truro, Par and Lostwithiel ’boxes will all close, but there are at least no plans to demolish any of the structures, while those at Lostwithiel and Par are Grade II-listed and so few alterations may take place. The changes mean that the Cornish Main Line is now signalled by Plymouth Panel (Plymouth to Liskeard); Liskeard; Exeter Panel (Liskeard to Roskear); Roskear; St Erth; and Penzance. Of these, the ’boxes at Liskeard and St Erth still have traditional lower quadrant semaphore signals, as do two further ’boxes on the Newquay branch at St…

Signalling change in
Cornwall

A Buxton ‘Crompton’

MOMENT IN TIME LONG associated with the South of England, the first half of the 1980s saw Class 33s spread their wings a little, eventually reaching the likes of North Wales and Manchester on regular booked passenger diagrams. But nobody ever expected to see one in the quarries of the Peak District – that is until the beginning of March 1994, just a month before Privatisation of the rail industry began, when ‘Crompton’ No. 33116 Hertfordshire Rail Tours popped up in Buxton with inspection saloon No. 975025 (now named Caroline), which at that time carried Network SouthEast livery. The duo arrived on March 2, 1994 filming the local area for the Infrastructure Support Group, including the Peak Forest and Stockport lines. They stabled overnight in Buxton station, and then left…

A Buxton
‘Crompton’

Readers’ Platform

A rolling stock crisis CHRIS Milner’s article in the February issue discussed a number of seemingly unsettling issues regarding current and future rolling stock issues on Britain’s railways. However, I would suggest that there are at least seven further issues which may contribute further to the current problems. 1. The incredible varieties of different trains, often built in relatively small numbers, supplied by various manufacturers and sometimes tied into maintenance contracts and/or requiring specially configured depots. This, particularly where leased fleets are concerned, may severely restrict the ability to transfer trains to different areas or operators, especially at short notice. The worst case must be TransPennine Express with three small, completely different and incompatible fleets obtained from a mixture of suppliers. No wonder they got into trouble. I am sure…

Readers’ Platform

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 GCR Society. Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30.‘Great Central Railway Carriages’: John Quick. Lutterworth Railway Society. Lutterworth Bowls Club LE15 4RB. 19.30.‘London & Birmingham Railway Construction’: Roger Cragg. Norfolk Railway Society. United Reformed Church Hall, Norwich NR4 6QR. 19.30.‘Thirty years with British Rail’: Bob Reeves. RCTS. Library Leatherhead, Station Approach. 11.00-16.00. Open day. South East Essex Railway Society. Friends’Meeting House, Leigh-on-Sea SS9 1NB. 19.30. FRIDAY, MARCH 8 SLS. Conference Room, 1st floor (access via Black Swan Courtyard), Newcastle Arts Centre NE1 1SG. 19.00.‘East Riding Trains and Buses in the 1960s’: Martin Green. SWRS. The Manor, Slough station. 19.30.‘Turkey’: Peter Robins. SATURDAY, MARCH 9 SLS. Kidderminster Railway Museum DY10 1QX. 14.00. Members’presentations. MONDAY, MARCH 11 Lincoln Railway Society. St Hugh’s Church, North Hykeham LN6…

From the archive

100 YEARS AGO MARCH 1924 Decline of the Rail Motor AT the end of 1922, the total number of steam rail motors owned by British railway companies was only 115; 13 years earlier it had been 185. This decrease, which year by year becomes more marked, shows that such combinations are not altogether successful. Yet theoretically, a self-contained unit for railway working is ideal for branches and sections where traffic is light, and also for providing frequent services. The chief drawback to the success of the rail motor is that when the engine requires repair or attention the whole car is put out of service. This defect has in a measure been met by making the locomotive detachable from the passenger car. But the separation of the two parts is…

From the archive

The RCTS: then and now

THE heavily-used former holiday line from Havant to Hayling Island had its origins with the Independent Hayling Railway Company, which was incorporated in 1860 to build four-and-a-half miles of single line with passing loops. The line opened in two stages, the first between Havant and Langstone in 1865 and then from Langstone to Hayling in 1867. The line served four stations along the route: Langstone, Langstone Bridge, North Hayling and Hayling Island. Interesting to note that the‘e’in Langstone was eventually removed from the spelling. The completion of the route only came about after quite fierce exchanges had taken place between employees of the London Brighton and South Coast and the London and South Western Railway companies. The exchanges took place at the trackside in the Havant area and were usually…

The RCTS: then and now

Auto tank for the ‘Wizzer’

A GWR‘64XX’0-6-0PT is due to take up residence once again on the West Somerset Railway (WSR), after a member of the class was acquired by one of the line’s leading lights. Auto-fitted 1937-built No. 6435, and 1951-built WR auto-trailer No. 232 have been bought from the Bodmin Railway by WSR plc chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt’s JJP Holdings company for use on the WSR. The loco and carriage were among several items of rolling stock offered for sale by the Cornish line early in the New Year. On January 2, David Nelson-Brown, Bodmin Railway chairman said:“It is with a heavy heart that the Bodmin Railway is considering the sale of locomotive No. 6435. It is a loco much loved by crews and very capable on our steeply graded line, but financial pressures…

Auto tank for the ‘Wizzer’

Penrhyn Castle locos rehomed

THE railway museum at Penrhyn Castle will look very different this year, following the departure of several standard and narrow gauge exhibits to new homes in other corners of the British Isles. This follows a decision by the National Trust, which runs the North Wales venue, to revamp the site. While rolling stock relating to the nearby Penrhyn Quarries has been retained, other items, including four industrial steam locos were relocated in late January and early February. First to move, on January 24, was Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T Vesta, works number 1223 built in 1916, being delivered to the BuryTransport Museum.This locomotive worked at Shotton Steelworks before being preserved by the Industrial Locomotive Society. It was then gifted to the National Trust, and after being displayed at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire…

Penrhyn Castle locos rehomed

Swanley charity trains success

THE Swanley New Barn Railway kicked off the new year by supporting a good cause, raising valuable funds for a national charity. The Kent line’s annual charity event was held on January 1, in aid of the British Heart Foundation. All operable home-based steam locomotives were in action. These included 2-4-0 ‘Tinkerbell’ Sir Goss built by J Goss and J Haylock in 1981; 0-4-2T‘Tinkerbell’ Mrs Darling built by P Jackson in 2017; 2-6-2T‘Tinkerbell’ Owd Rosie built by J Stubbs in 1993; and 0-4-4-0T Single Fairlie Y Sgwar built by P Beevers in 2021. The resident fleet was joined by 2-4-0 No.14 Horton built by Narogauge Ltd in 1991, from the Moors Valley Railway and the privately-owned‘General Gordon’0-6-0T Edward Watkin built by Station Road Steam in 2020, plus 0-4-0T Furbero No.1…

Swanley charity trains success

New plans for expansion

EFFORTS to expand the restored section of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway at Woody Bay are now being focussed on a shorter extension to a location just north of Parracombe. It follows the expiry of Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust’s (L&BRT) planning permission to rebuild the line between its present Killington Lane terminus and Blackmoor (RM Headline News, April 2023). Now a planning application to Exmoor National Park Authority is being prepared which L&BRT hopes will be submitted later this year. If approved, this would enable construction of a half-mile extension to its current Woody Bay to Killington Lane running line onwards to a terminus at Cricket Field Lane on the edge of Parracombe. Meanwhile, a working party on January 20/21 cleared a significant volume of overgrown trees and vegetation…

New plans for expansion

Beamish Museum welcomes Lisbon 730

DESPITE travelling through the tail of Storm Isha, Lisbon No. 730 arrived at Beamish Museum in County Durham unscathed, apart from some damage to one of its platform doors. Having previously visited Beamish in 2013, No. 730 returned on January 22, to take up permanent residence. Its transfer from the Wirral Transport Museum, where it had been part of the fleet used to run services on the tramway, was agreed late last year with Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society (MTPS). As part of changes being made by Big Heritage (BH), which took over the custodianship of the Birkenhead visitor attraction from Wirral Council in November, MTPS had been asked to find a new home for No. 730. BH said it required more space for visitors and that, due to a lack…

Beamish Museum welcomes Lisbon 730

End of the line for two historic LMS EMU cars

THE Heritage Electric Trains Trust (HETT) has announced that two of its three surviving Wirral Class 503 EMU cars are set to be scrapped. All three cars were built for the LMS and formerly resided at the now-closed Electric Railway Museum on the edge of Coventry.The unit comprises: driving trailer second open (DTSO) No. 29289, built in 1937 by BRCW; trailer second open (TSO) centre car No. 29720, constructed by Metro Cammell in 1938; and driving motor brake second open (DMBSO) No. 28690 built by Metro Cammell in 1938. Both the driving trailer and centre trailer cars will be sent for scrap after useful components have been recovered in the next couple of months. They are in very poor condition and would require extensive renovation to be brought up to…

End of the line for two historic LMS EMU cars

HST heading for the Highlands

LOCOMOTIVE Services Group has announced it will launch a series of three-day weekend excursions to Scotland this summer, under the title of the ‘West Highland Pullman’. The Pullman will run on eight weekends (Friday-Monday) and use a shortened version of the ‘Blue Pullman’HST, formed of two dining cars, two first class carriages and a kitchen car, hauled by Class 43 power cars. None of the‘West Highland Pullman’trains include hotel accommodation, allowing passengers to select their own hotels in Fort William at a budget which suits them. The first train is on the weekend of August 16-18, starting at Romford and picking up at Shenfield, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Ely, March and Peterborough, with an approximate arrival at Fort William around 20.30. On the Saturday, the train makes…

HST heading for the Highlands

High density trains could ‘unlock’ freight opportunities

USING vehicles from its fleet of 100 new FEA-G high density twin intermodal wagons, delivery of which was completed summer, GB Railfreight has launched a five trains per week service linking the DPWorld-operated port at London Gateway, on the north bank of the River Thames near Corringham in Essex, with iPort Doncaster. Each wagon can carry six 20ft equivalent units, significantly increasing the volume of cargo which can be moved on every journey. “We always aim to innovate our services to best meet the needs of a changing and demanding market,”said GB Railfreight head of intermodal Julie Garn. ‘Closer to net zero’ “We believe this new service will unlock a further opportunity for existing and new customers to support their efforts and reduce their carbon emissions,”she added.“Every time one of…

High density trains could ‘unlock’ freight opportunities

TfL begins tendering process for new London Trams fleet

THE first phase of the process which should ultimately lead to an order being placed for new vehicles on the London Trams network was drawing to a close as this issue of The RM went to press. Transport for London’s tender notice, which had a closing date of February 27, seeks the fulfilment of two contracts by the same supplier. One relates to the manufacture and delivery of a base order of 24 new trams (which it will use to replace the existing London Trams fleet of Bombardier CR4000 vehicles) and the other the provision of technical support and spares for them for a 30-year period. The valuation placed on the deal is £385 million. It contains an option for up to 16 further trams to be built. Existing fleet…

TfL begins tendering process for new London Trams fleet

University station’s new buildings open

THE extensive rebuild of Birmingham’s busy University station has been completed, and the new buildings – ready to cater for an estimated 3.5 million passengers a year – opened on January 28. The original station dates from 1978 and was designed for around 500,000 passengers per year, but expansion and growth of both the University of Birmingham and nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital overwhelmed the existing facilities. The new station – the first and only built to specifically serve a university – will also be able handle up to 7.2 million passengers annually. As the seventh busiest in the West Midlands, the station has gone through a three-year reconstruction while remaining open and operational. The first stage of the development saw longer and wider platforms, complete with new canopies, completed ahead…

University station’s new buildings open

Class 730 EMU fleet enters service in West Midlands

WEST Midlands Railway (WMR) launched its‘Aventra’ Class 730/0 trains in the West Midlands on February 8, ahead of their introduction into service from February 12. The 48 three-car trains represent part of an overall £700 million investment for the operator in new rolling stock, which over the next 12 months will replace the 30-year-old Class 323s on the Cross-City line as well as the Class 350/2s on its other routes. All of the three-car sets have been accepted by WMR. The first route to see the Class 730s will be Wolverhampton to Walsall, with a single diagram initially replacing a Class 350. Introduction of the class on this first diagram will be a step towards introducing the sets on Birmingham’s busy Cross-City line between Lichfield Trent Valley and Redditch or…

Class 730 EMU fleet enters service in West Midlands

GB Railfreight confirms Class 99 testing set for September

GB RAILFREIGHT has told The RM it expects the first of its 30 bi-mode Class 99 locomotives to be in service before the end of next year. The company also confirmed that a nine-month period of testing and commissioning is due to take place from September 2024. It was reluctant to elaborate on progress with the order for the locomotives, but it is understood that the bodyshell of No. 99001 had been completed by late January at Stadler’s Valencia factory. It and No. 99002 are expected to be completed in May, with No. 99003 being finished shortly afterwards. The predicted time frame for testing fits with suggestions that the first of the locomotives, which will be leased from Beacon Rail, could arrive in the UK in April 2025 for main…

GB Railfreight confirms Class 99 testing set for September

WH DAVIS has completed construction of 46 JNA-U ‘Jumbo’open box wagons for Beacon Rail Leasing, Nos. 81 70 5932 105-6 to 150-2. Capacity is 75.0 cubic metres, which is 25% more than the standard JNA-T type. Overall length is 16.6 metres and tare 24 tonnes. Operated by GB Railfreight, terminals served include Small Heath yard, Birmingham. Other JNAs to be seen at Small Heath are the‘Black Adder’type from the series Nos. GERS 4401-424. Dating from 2002, these are also a product of WH Davis, mating new bodies with refurbished bogies and other belowsolebar equipment. Originally owned by GE Rail Services, they are now part of the Touax fleet. However, cancellation of the HS2 project north of Birmingham has not reduced demand for new rolling stock. Now underway at the Langwith…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations37407 XHSO-XSDP37419 XHSO-XSDP37422 XHSO-XSDP37425 XHSO-XSDP37716 XHSO-XSDP56032 GBGS-GBRG60017 WQAA-WQBA66001 WBAE-WBAT66005 WBAE-WBAT66009 WBAE-WBAT66011 WBAE-WBAT66012 WBAE-WBAT66024 WBAE-WBAT66027 WBAE-WBAT66032 WBAE-WBAT66035 WBAE-WBAT66047 WBAE-WBAT66061 WBAE-WBAT66076 WBAE-WBAT66094 WBAE-WBAT66095 WBAE-WBAT66117 WBAE-WBAT66118 WBAE-WBAT66119 WBAE-WBAT66120 WBAE-WBAT66121 WBAE-WBAT66127 WBAE-WBAT66158 WBAE-WBAT66175 WBAE-WBAT66177 WBAE-WBAT66179 WBAE-WBAT66190 WBAE-WBAT66205 WBAE-WBAT66311 newly registeredRR/GBSD66312 newly registeredRR/GBSD66313 newly registeredRR/GBSD66314 newly registeredRR/GBSD66315 newly registeredRR/GBSD66316 newly registeredRR/GBSD66591 FD/DHLT-LD/DFIN67028 WQBA-WQDA70011 FD/DHLT-LD/DFGI Renumbered56032 - 6901166221 - 6665177506 - 6631477505 - 6631591000 - 91105 LiveriesDB Cargo red: 66221Maroon: 69009 Named60085 Snowdon69009 Western Consort Names removed43027 Acton Castle Stored/stopped locationsChesterfield (private site): 08423, 08573, 08874, 08936Crewe Coal Yard: 37407/19/22/25, 37716Crewe EMD: 66091Great Yarmouth: 43027, 43206/38, 43312/19Haymarket: 43129Kidderminster: 43423/67Laira: 43029/94, 43122/53/54/55/86/94Loughborough: 91117 POOL CODES VRMUVaramis Rail Class 321 units MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations170208 CF-DY197120 HQ-CH319369/79/86 sent for disposal321334/41 HQ/SAXU-GW/ VRMU321407/19/28/40 HQ/SAXUGW/VRMU507004/13/32 sent for disposal508104 sent for disposal701002 newly delivered HQ/ HYHQ701028 HQ-WD 701529/30 newly delivered HQ/…

The network’s notable moves

Avanti West Coast OnWednesday, January 17, and for the following two days, unbranded plain white Class 805 No. 805002 ran ECS (Empty Coaching Stock) from Oxley Depot as 5Q30/06.40 to Glasgow Central and return at 12.32. A combination of weekend engineering works and then Storm Isha meant that after AWC’s Glasgow Central (1M17) left for London Euston at 16.40 on Saturday, January 20 with Class 390 No. 390155, the next direct service to Euston from there didn't depart until 13.33 on January 22, when No. 390013 worked 1M10/09.34 which departed 79 minutes late. Weather warnings from the Met Office resulted in AWC telling passengers not to travel north of Preston after 15.30 on January 23. The last scheduled service from London to Glasgow departed at 15.30 (17.41 from Preston) and…

The network’s notable moves

Downpatrick continues to rebuild

WORK continues at Downpatrick to return the railway and its rolling stock back to operational condition after the severe flooding in November that caused almost £3 million in damage. One of the success stories has been the recruitment of several new volunteers, signing up to help with the post-flood recovery process. “It has been heartening to see the situation result in the recruitment of several new volunteers to bolster our small crew. Every cloud indeed has a silver lining,”Downpatrick & County Down Railway chairman, Robert Gardiner told The RM. “However, we are still facing massive costs to fully return the railway to its pre-flood condition and we are grateful for all the donations so far.” Work on the locomotive fleet has continued with Nos. G617 and 141 Class No. 146…

Downpatrick continues to rebuild

Chinese steam comes to an end

HAVING survived multiple previous deadlines, steam operation at the world’s last bastion of steam and the significant working steam depot in Sandaoling’s (Three Small Hills) huge open-cast coal mine in Xinjiang province in northwest China came to an end on January 15. As previously reported, steam operation at the mine, which for some years has been the last major commercial non-heritage steam location in the world, had been temporarily reprieved in May 2018, after the plan to replace it with lorries was deemed uneconomic. However, the open-cast pit had been expected to be worked out within three years and mine management had announced locally that steam operation would end in September 2021; a year later than an original deadline set by the local government. In the end, steam operation and…

Chinese steam comes to an end

Images from a Disappearing World

By Vic Millington THIS really is a book with a difference. At first glance, I did not think it would appeal, but within a dozen or so pages I was hooked. Vic Millington is an artist who decided the best way to convey the essence of a line as old as the Leicester & Swannington was through a series of paintings. In so doing, he has not only brought one of England’s earliest railways to life but created a world in which readers who never saw the line in use can somehow feel as though they did… not only in LMS and BR days, but in the Victorian and Edwardian eras too. He has achieved this by producing more than 100 colour images and presenting them in a semi-chronological, semi-geographical…

Images from a Disappearing World

Modern Traction in the North of England

By John Whiteley THE author is a well known photographer who here gets to showcase some of his work featuring modern traction from the early 1960s through to the latter years of British Rail in the 1990s. It is displayed in the standard Amberley format of two pictures per page, adding up to a photographic survey of the changing scene over the years, mostly of the BR Blue era but also covering Sectorisation. The captions are detailed and provide information on the train in the picture but also in many cases the history of the locomotive featured. The area covered ranges from northern Derbyshire and Cheshire, through Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, and up to the Scottish border. Image reproduction is very good, making this recommended reading. Published by Amberley www.amberley-books.com…

Modern Traction in the North of England

Merseyrail Electric: The award-winning network

By Martyn Hilbert THIS book offers an illustrated history of the Merseyrail network, written by an expert on the subject, covering the history of the third-rail electric railway around the Liverpool area from the late-1970s to the arrival of the latest Class 777 units. The book is split into six main chapters: In the beginning; Onwards; Operations; The Northern line; The Wirral line; and Merseyrail Miscellany. The text is informative, there are many of high quality and well reproduced photographs, and the captions provide useful additional information. With the last of the network’s Class 508s now withdrawn, and the Class 507s due to follow shortly, this is a useful guide to Merseyrail and especially so for anyone planning to visit the area before the last of the old fleet disappears.…

Merseyrail Electric: The award-winning network

The Railway Magazine binders and bound volumes

Binders High-quality binders to store your copies of The RM are available to buy for just £11.99, including UK postage and packing (add £2.25 for Europe and £4.75 for rest of the world). TO ORDER: See our website at classicmagazines.co.uk/category/BINDER; or call our customer services team on 01507 529529; or write to The Railway Magazine Binder Offer, Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. If writing, please state quantity required and enclose a cheque for the correct amount made payable to Mortons Media Group Ltd. Readers overseas please note we can only accept either Sterling Bankers Draft or credit card payments. Bound volumes Your magazines can also be bound into volumes (12 issues approx) for £54 per volume, including p&p, or £44 if collected in person from…

The Railway Magazine binders and bound volumes

CROSSWORD & NEXT MONTH

The crossword winner and two runners-up can choose books worth £50 and £25 respectively from the extensive Nostalgia Collection. Visit us at www.mortonsbooks.co.uk Across 1 & 5 Junction and former station between Swindon and Chippenham (7,7)9 Last station before Hawes on the NER branch from Northallerton (7)10 Gainsborough ___ Road (3)11 Yeovil ___ Mill (3)12 & 24 across Name carried by six locos from a GWR‘Iron Duke’to a Class 87 electric (4,2,3,5)14 Location of Basford Hall yard (5)15 Nigel Gresley’s middle name (5)17 Scottish town with Harbour, South Beach and Town stations (9)19 Compagnie internationale des ___,historic‘Orient 7 down’operator (6-3)21 Number of Kings and Sisters in London stations (5)24 See 12 across25 ‘A2/3’No. 60515 (3,6)27 US term for a railway sleeper (3)28 Initials seen on railings outside Marylebone station (1,1,1)29…

CROSSWORD & NEXT MONTH

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